Eyes Open
by The Lady Vampire Lilac
Summary: When Kate Rousseau takes her sister's place in the Hunger Games, she never expects to find herself on a strange island with the boy whose heart she broke Skate/Jate drama
1. The Reaping

*** Well, a couple months ago, I had a dream that I was in 'The Hunger Games' and it was on the Island from 'Lost' and that Sawyer was my partner so that was sort of the inspiration for this crossover fic!**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I don't own 'The Hunger Games' or 'Lost' or any of the characters. They are the property of Suzanne Collins, J.J. Abrams, and Damon Lindelof**

A piercing scream woke Kate from a deep dreamless sleep. Crawling out of her bed, she made her way over to Claire and gently roused her from the nightmare she was enthralled in. Taking the young girl in her arms, she patted her head of messy blonde curls and told her in a soothing voice, "It was just a dream, Claire, and you're fine…"

"It was me", Claire told Kate and began to tremble in her arms. Kate paused only momentarily but then continued to caress the young girl's head. Claire's wide, frightened blue eyes fixed on the opposite wall as she said, "They chose me and I died first…"

"Shh, you have nothing to worry about. Your name was only entered once this year so the odds are NOT in your favor", Kate reassured Claire and began to hum 'The Mountain Song' under her breath so Claire could go back to sleep.

After a few minutes, Claire was lulled back to sleep. Kate carefully placed her back on the filthy clump of rags that served as her pillow and quietly slipped from the room to get dressed. She pulled on tight denim jeans that were colored gray and had giant holes in the knees, a brown tunic sweater, and her favorite olive green jacket. Lastly, she zipped her feet into brown boots that came to just below her knees.

Kate left the house without so much of a backward glance. No one noticed her as she ran through town towards the fences lining their district. Everyone was too busy preparing for the Reaping, a ceremonial lottery where all the names of the children in each district were entered a certain number of times. Only two were chosen out of all of the names to take part in the Annual Hunger Games; one boy and one girl.

Claire wasn't the only one afraid that her name would be called. Kate even feared that the odds weren't in her favor. Her name had been entered forty-two times this year. It was her eighteenth year, the last year that she qualified for the Games. Her friend and hunting partner, Jack, was entered that many times as well. They had the most chances of being in the Games than Claire did.

"Happy Reaping Day", Jack called out to Kate when she passed through the hole in the fence and made it to their meeting place a few yards from the fence.

"And may the odds be ever in your favor", retorted Kate as she stooped to get her bow and arrows from their hiding place in a log.

Jack smiled and offered her a cinnamon roll. Kate's brown eyes widened at the treat and she asked, "How did you get that?"

"I traded the baker a boar for it", replied Jack with another one of his easygoing smiles that broke all the girls' hearts.

Kate's friend Juliet had been privy to that smile's charm and devastation. She had to listen for hours while Juliet cried about how she would never get Jack to like her as much as she liked him. It made Kate roll her eyes. Jack didn't seem to like any girls in their school.

"That must have been a pretty good trade", Kate mused and pointed toward the small bag of goodies that Jack got from the baker.

"The best one I've made in months. There's enough here for my brothers and your mom and Claire", said Jack and picked out a bran muffin for himself.

Kate's face grew serious as she asked Jack, "Did you see Sawyer at the Baker's?"

Jack's face turned serious as he regarded Kate and replied, "Yes, but he didn't want to talk".

Kate just nodded her head once and bit into the cinnamon roll. It tasted dry to her but she tried not to be too concerned with the taste. Food was a blessing, most especially out here in the 12th District which was the poorest of all 12 Districts. A mining District, they provided coal for all the other districts and in return barely received any electricity of their own.

The Capitol did provide electricity only for the Hunger Games. So for every other day of the year, they had to do without. Looking out towards the mountains, Kate thought about the angry boy who had inadvertently captured her heart.

"Do you think he'll ever forgive me?" Kate asked more to herself than to Jack.

"He feels like you betrayed his trust and trust is a hard thing to win back, Kate", Jack advised his friend.

Kate knew Jack was right but she didn't want to hear the truth right now. Taking a big bite out of the cinnamon roll, she chewed a long time before swallowing. Tears burned her brown eyes as she retorted, "For all we know, I could end up in the Hunger Games and I'll die before he ever forgives me".

"Don't say that! That's an awful thing to say", Jack cried, looking so angry all of a sudden.

"If it means I won't have to go another day feeling like this, then I'll welcome death", Kate admitted to Jack in all seriousness.

Jack grabbed her all of a sudden and began shaking her, hissing, "You listen to me, Kate, if death can undo all the wrongs in this world then no one should be breathing! I get that you're hurt but don't say that you'll welcome death! Just think of Claire and your mom and me; just think how much we'll miss you if you die!"

Kate was astonished by how angry Jack was. All she could manage to say in response was, "Jack, you're hurting me…"

Jack released her and began to back away from her, still fuming. He picked up his bag of goodies, swung it over his shoulder, and spat over his shoulder at Kate, "I'll see you at the Reaping".

"What about hunting?" asked Kate, startled that Jack was leaving.

"You hunt, I'm going home", said Jack and began to walk away.

"Jack, wait! Please don't be angry at me! I can't handle you and Sawyer being angry at me!" begged Kate, running after him to touch him on the arm.

Jack stopped and turned to look down at Kate with this look that confused Kate. It was almost like he was looking at her with love in his brown eyes but that couldn't be. He knew how she felt about Sawyer. Jack was her closest friend and ally in this cruel world and she couldn't bear to lose him.

Jack bent and brushed his lips across Kate's forehead, shocking her. He gave her a sad smile and said, "I have to go now".

Kate let him go without a word said. She could still feel Jack's feather light kiss on her forehead long after he left.

When she came home, Claire was dressed in her outfit for the Reaping. "Don't you look nice", commented Kate, going and smoothing a stray curl behind Claire's ear.

"Your clothes are set out on the bed", Kate and Claire's mom, Danielle, informed Kate.

After a quick bath, Kate dressed in a white dress with a simple brown belt around the middle. Her long, curly brown hair was swept up in a bun on the top of her head. Then she took Claire's hand and they followed the crowd of children heading towards the Justice Building.

Claire almost ran when she saw that the Officials were pricking people's fingers for identification but Kate reassured Claire that it wasn't all that bad. She even went first to prove that it didn't hurt. Claire reluctantly followed suit and then got ushered into the crowd of fourteen-year-olds.

Kate joined all the other eighteen-year-old girls and then searched the crowd for Jack. She found him but only after she spotted Sawyer. He stood off to the side, his longish honey blonde hair slicked back from his rugged face. He was dressed in khaki slacks and a beige button-down shirt.

He had an aloofness to him that set him apart from the other anxious kids. Kate almost wished that she were as aloof as he was, but her stomach was tightened in all sorts of knots and she was certain she was so pale that her freckles stood out on her face.

After Effie's whole spiel about the history of the Games, it was finally time for the Reaping. She stuck her hand in a giant glass bowl that was filled with a hundred white slips of paper. On these slips of paper were the names of all of the children gathered in front of the building.

Effie picked one and pulled it out. Then taking her place in front of the microphone, she announced the name on the paper: "Claire Rousseau".

There was a moment where time stood still briefly. Then Kate found Claire's terrified gaze and watched as she tried to hide but an Official came and got her. Then he began to drag her, screaming, towards the stage.

Kate ran out of the crowd, calling Claire's name and reaching for her hand but two Officials blocked her way. Then, panicking, she cried out, "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!"

There was a unified shocked gasp from all the kids in the crowd. No one had ever volunteered as tribute from District 12. Kate was the first. She was quickly ushered up on stage where she presented her name to the crowd, "Kate Rousseau".

"Well, congratulations on being District 12's first volunteer", Effie told her and then turned to do the boys.

After much deliberating, she pulled out a slip of paper and read the name on it: "James Ford".

Kate was certain her shock was evident on her face. Her eyes sought Sawyer's in the crowd and knew that destiny was indeed a fickle bitch.

*** Yes it is! So we can only go up from here! Please review!**


	2. Saying Goodbye

**DISCLAIMER:**** I don't own 'Lost' or 'The Hunger Games' or any of the characters. They are the property of Suzanne Collins, J.J. Abrams, and Damon Lindelof**

Sawyer angrily shrugged off the Officials and proceeded to angrily march up to the stage. Kate watched him come closer and closer, feeling as though she were in the middle of a train track and a train was barreling towards her.

"So there you have it, our two tributes from District 12", announced Effie and then she turned to Kate and Sawyer and said to them, "Now go on, shake hands".

Kate and Sawyer turned to look at each other. As they did, they remembered the first time they met…

_It had been raining and Kate was barely clinging to life as she fell to her knees. She laid there in the mud outside the Bakery just praying for death to be swift. If it would mean that she would no longer feel the gnawing pain of hunger in her gut then she relished the thought of death._

_Just as she closed her eyes to die, there was a loud bang and some shouting. Turning her head, she saw that the Baker's wife was yelling at this boy she knew from school. She recalled that he liked to be called 'Sawyer' even though that wasn't his name. His actual name was James Ford._

_The Baker's wife proceeded to smack Sawyer in the back of the head and then pointed towards the pig pen along the side of the Bakery. As Sawyer turned, Kate saw that he held several pieces of bread that were slightly burned. He began throwing pieces of the bread to the pigs, his face an angry scowl._

_Kate didn't know why but she watched him, thinking that even though he was so angry-looking, he was still very handsome. Then as though he felt her gaze, Sawyer turned and saw her lying in the mud. She probably looked so thin and pale to him, a near corpse. Kate began to look away, ashamed of how she looked._

_Then she heard footsteps and someone pulled her to her feet roughly. She sagged against a tall, lean frame. Looking up, she found herself looking into Sawyer's face. His eyes were green and luminous in the pale light of pre-dusk. His features were so chiseled and masculine, set in hard, angry lines that Kate shivered. She wasn't sure if it was the cold and rain that made her shiver or the sudden burst of fire and longing in her gut._

"_Stay alive, Freckles", she heard Sawyer say to her and then he pressed something into her hands. He stood there a second more, staring back at her with half a smile lighting his features. Then he began to walk away, back towards the Bakery._

_For a while, Kate could only stare after him but then she realized she was holding something. Looking down, she saw that she had one of the burned pieces of bread clasped in her hands. Kate didn't take long to realize that she had to get home to Claire and her mother with this bread. She took off running._

_Only a few days later did she realize that Sawyer had saved not only her life, but the life of her mother and sister. Somehow, she would have to repay him, but she would repay him in the biggest way possible…_

Kate felt Sawyer's hand grip hers' in a death grip. His green eyes looked into her brown ones with so much anger that Kate forgot to breathe. It amazed her how someone like Sawyer could have so much anger in his soul.

"Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor!" Effie wished the entire crowd and then she ushered Kate and Sawyer into the Justice Building.

The Officials split them up and put them in two separate rooms at the end of the hall. Here, they would have their last good-bye with friends and family. Kate had to wait only a couple anxious minutes before the door opened and she heard an Official say, "You have three minutes".

Then Claire was hugging her and trying so hard to sob quietly. Kate hugged her back fiercely before pulling her away to say, "Claire, listen to me, take out only as much food as you need. Don't add your name more than it has already been. You can sell milk and cheese from your goat…"

"You have to win. Promise me that you'll win", Claire said through her tears.

"Okay, I promise", Kate reassured Claire and then Claire handed her a small gold pin. On it there was a mockingjay catching an arrow in its' beak.

"This will protect you. It won't let anything bad happen to you", Claire said, trying to sound strong but failing.

"Thank you", was all Kate managed to say before she hugged her sister tightly once more.

Then turning to her mother, she said, "You can't go crazy again. You have to be here for her. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, I understand", Danielle replied, also looking on the brink of tears.

"Don't. Just don't cry. Don't cry", Kate said, angry at first but sounding more regretful towards the end as she hugged her mother.

Then the Official came back into the room to escort Claire and Danielle out. Danielle had to pick Claire up to get her to leave the room for she began to hysterically cry, "No, no, no!"

"I'll be okay, Claire! I'll win! I promise!" Kate cried after her.

Then once they were gone and Kate was alone again, Kate began to seriously think about running away. If she left out the window, no one would know. Something made her stay in the room. Maybe it was the feeling that Jack would be the next one to come in.

The first thing Jack did when he came in was to hug Kate. Kate hugged him back, knowing that in spite of the kiss he gave her, he was still her best friend.

"The first thing you do is get to high ground. After that point, you make yourself a bow. Don't worry about anything else, all they want is a good show", Jack advised her.

"There's twenty-four of us, Jack, and only one comes out", Kate told him.

"Yeah, I know, but you can hunt", answered Jack.

"Yeah, animals", Kate replied, letting her insecurity show through.

"It's no different, really", said Jack with a shake of his head.

"It's very different, Jack", snapped Kate, looking furious that Jack could be so matter-of-fact about killing children.

"Let's not argue about right and wrong, not when…" Jack began to counter but then pulled Kate to him in another hug before he could say anything more.

"Take care of them, Jack, and whatever you do, don't let them starve", Kate said hurriedly as she heard the door open and the Official come in to take Jack from her.

"Kate, I…" Jack began to say as the Official dragged him out but the door closed on him before Kate could hear what he had to say.

Then Kate was alone once more before the Officials came to get her to take her to the train station where she would board a train to the Capitol. There, she would go into training for the Games.

No matter what, she would have to kill a child in order to survive…

*** Your thoughts and opinions are welcome so please review!**


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